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The  Key.  James  L.  Barton,  D.D. 

Prof.  Harlan  P.  Beach,  D.D.  m,rt  Cb?IS 

David  Bovaird,  Jr.,  M.D. 

Prof.  O.  E.  Brown,  D.D. 

Prof.  Ernest  DeWitt  Burton,  D.D. 

Miss  Helen  B.  Calder 
Prof.  Edward  W.  Capen,  Ph.D. 

The  Rev.  Wna.  I.  Chamberlain,  Ph.D. 

The  Rev,  George  Drach 
The  Rev.  James  Endieott,  D.D. 

Prof.  Charles  R.  Erdman,  D.D. 

The  Rev.  F.  P.  Haggard,  D.D. 

Pres.  Henry  C.  King,  DJ>. 

The  Rt  Rev.  Arthur  S.  Lloyd,  D.D.  ^ 

,  The  Rev.  R.  P.  Macfcay,  D.D. 

Pres.  W.  W.  Moore,  D.D.  ;■*  % 

John  R.  Mott,  LidX 
Pres.  E.  Jf,  Mullins,  D.D. 

Bishop  W.  F.  Oldham,  D.D. 
principal  T.  R.  O'Meara,  D.D. 

Pres.  C.  T.  Paul,  Ph.D.  f 
Dean  Wilford  L.  Robbins,  D.D" 

Prof.  Henry  W.  Robins,  Ph.D. 

Prof.  Q.  A.  Johnston  Ross,  M. A. 

Dean  James  E.  Russell,  HDD. 

T.  H.  P,  Sailer,  Ph.D. 

Miss  Una  Saunders '  ^  a  / 

Robert  E.  ::  ■•'  -  '■&-* 


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Robert  E.  Speer,  D.D. 

Pfes.  J.  Ross  Stevenson,  D.D.  4  ^ 
The  Rev.  John  H.  Strong,  D.D. 

1  r,  -  -  •  A  J  .  -  .. _  T^r  _  .  ,  .  .  ... 


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Wardle,  M.A. 


The  Rev.  Charles  R.  Watson,  D.D.  „ 


How  Should  the  Missionary 
Spend  His  Furlough  ? 


Board  of  Missionary  Preparation 
25  Madison  Ave.  New  York  City 

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FOREWORD 


THIS  leaflet  is  only  meant  to  be  sugges¬ 
tive.  The  material  it  contains  is  the 
result  of  a  careful  investigation  of  the 
missionary  furlough  problem  by  a  committee 
appointed  by  the  Board  of  Missionary  Prep¬ 
aration.  The  data  on  which  this  report  is 
based  are  noted  on  page  8.  While  the  experi¬ 
ences  and  view  points  of  so  large  a  number 
of  missionaries  carry  considerable  authority 
and  constitute  a  rich  storehouse  of  sugges¬ 
tions,  the  Committee  investigating  this  subject 
covets  for  its  report  the  correction  of  further 
criticism  and  the  enrichment  of  further  sug¬ 
gestions.  Will  you  not,  you  into  whose  hands 
this  leaflet  falls,  will  you  not  contribute  to 
this  undertaking  bv  sending  your  suggestions 
to  Dr.  F.  K.  Sanders,  the  Director  of  the 
Board  of  Missionary  Preparation,  who  may 
be  addressed  at  25  Madison  Avenue,  New 
York  City. 

The  attention  of  readers  is  called  to  other 
investigations  made  by  other  committees 
whose  reports  are  in  a  peculiar  way  supple¬ 
mentary  to  the  discussions  of  this  leaflet. 
These  reports  are  listed  on  the  inside  back 
cover  of  this  leaflet. 

Charles  R.  Watson,  Chairman. 

■W.  B.  Anderson, 

Harlan  P.  Beach, 

David  Bovaird,  Jr., 

O.  E.  Brown, 

Edward  Warren  Capen 
Henry  C.  King, 

R.  P.  Mackay, 

G.  A.  Johnston  Ross, 

Committee  on  Missionary  Furloughs 


How  Should  the  Missionary 
Spend  His  Furlough? 


IMPORTANCE  OF  SUBJECT 

THE  vital  importance  of  this  sub¬ 
ject,  proposed  by  the  Board  of 
Missionary  Preparation  for  special 
study  and  investigation,  will  be  appre¬ 
ciated  more  fully  as  we  remind  our¬ 
selves  of  the  number  of  lives  involved, 
the  amount  of  time  and  money  at  issue, 
and  the  practical  bearing  of  the  whole 
Question  upon  missionary  efficiency. 
The  total  number  of  foreign  mission¬ 
aries  supported  by  American  Boards 
and  Societies  is  over  8,000.  With  an 
average  term  of  service  of  seven  years, 
1,143  missionaries  will  be  found  com¬ 
ing  to  America  each  year  for  their  reg¬ 
ular  furloughs.  As  the  furlough  period 
usually  extends  to  fifteen  months,  we 
are  dealing  in  this  investigation  with 
an  annual  investment  of  1,429  years  of 
human  life,  while  the  annual  financial 
investment  is  certainly  not  less  than 
§572,000.  Were  we  to  include  the 
whole  Protestant  foreign  missionary 
force  there  would  be  involved  annual¬ 
ly  3,600  years  of  human  life  and  prob¬ 
ably  as  much  as  $1,500,000  in  finan¬ 
cial  investment.  The  effective  use  of 


3 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


so  much  time  and  money  surely  de¬ 
serves  the  most  painstaking  investiga¬ 
tions  and  the  most  careful  study  on 
the  part  of  those  to  whom  is  commit¬ 
ted  the  task  of  carrying  the  Gospel  to 
all  the  world.  Nor  is  this  duty  of  care¬ 
ful  research  laid  upon  us  alone  by  the 
high  estimate  of  time  and  money  in¬ 
volved,  for  there  is  a  further  call  to  the 
investigation  proposed  because  its 
findings  promise  increased  efficiency  in 
service  as  these  missionaries  return  to 
their  fields  of  labor  for  terms  approxi¬ 
mating  seven  years.  The  missionary 
enterprise  is  even  now  involved  in  the 
expense  of  missionary  furloughs  (both 
travel  expenses  and  salary  expenses), 
whether  these  furlough  periods  are  be¬ 
ing  rightly  used  or  not.  Any  addition¬ 
al  expenditures  proposed  will  be  infin¬ 
itesimal  as  compared  with  the  large 
expenditures  to  which  the  missionary 
enterprise  is  now  committed  in  con¬ 
nection  with  the  furloughs  of  its  mis¬ 
sionaries.  The  investigation,  there¬ 
fore,  promises,  at  little  or  practically 
no  expense,  to  provide  clear  and 
marked  gains  in  missionary  efficiency. 

The  need  for  this  investigation  is 
all  the  more  pressing  because  it  seems 
to  have  been  neglected  in  the  past. 


4 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


The  report  of  Commission  V  on  “The 
Preparation  of  Missionaries,”  presented 
to  the  Edinburgh  Conference  in  1910, 
discussed  at  length  the  general  subject 
of  the  training  of  missionaries,  but  it 
was  the  candidate  for  missionary  ap¬ 
pointment  and  the  years  preceding  his 
appointment  that  were  under  special 
consideration.  The  training  and 
further  development  of  the  mission¬ 
ary  who  is  already  in  service  were 
given  only  the  limited  treatment  of  six 
pages,  while  the  opportunity  which  the 
furlough  period  provides  for  such 
training  was  only  touched  upon  in  a 
single  page.  Furthermore,  in  the  am¬ 
ple  bibliography  presented  as  a  part  of 
the  Commission’s  report,  no  volume 
or  leaflet  deals  primarily  with  the 
proper  use  of  the  furlough  period,  and 
only  a  few  elementary  leaflets  have 
been  discovered,  issued  since  the  Edin¬ 
burgh  Conference  and  affording  sug¬ 
gestions  to  missionaries  as  to  how  they 
may  make  the  most  profitable  use  of 
their  periodic  furloughs. 

The  time  and  money  values  in¬ 
volved,  the  possibility  of  great  gain  in 
efficiency  at  but  slight  additional  ex¬ 
pense,  and  the  absence  of  an  adequate 
treatment  of  the  subject  in  the  past,  at- 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


tach  a  significant  importance  to  the 
present  investigation. 


DATA  INVESTIGATED 

This  leaflet  is  based  largely  upon 
replies  to  a  questionnaire  which  was 
prepared  and  sent  out  to  a  selected 
list  of  missionaries  and  missionary 
leaders.  Limitations  of  time  have  pre¬ 
vented  hearing  from  some  of  the  more 
distant  fields,  save  as  those  fields  were 
represented  by  missionaries  on  fur¬ 
lough.  However,  the  Committee  had 
before  it  some  no  replies  to  its  ques¬ 
tionnaire,  the  majority  of  these  bearing 
clear  evidence  of  most  careful  prepara¬ 
tion,  while  in  some  cases  accompany¬ 
ing  letters  gave  still  more  extended  in¬ 
formation.  The  no  replies  presented 
such  a  variety  of  viewpoints  that  one 
may  justly  believe  that  few  situations 
could  have  been  overlooked.  Among 
the  correspondents  there  were  both 
men  and  women ;  ordained  mission¬ 
aries  and  laymen ;  missionaries  en¬ 
gaged  in  medical,  educational,  indus¬ 
trial,  administrative  and  evangelistic 
missionary  work ;  missionaries  laboring 
in  Africa,  Alaska,  Assam,  Brazil,  Bur¬ 
ma,  Ceylon,  China,  Greece,  India,  Japan, 

6 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


Korea,  Mexico,  Nicaragua,  Persia,  the 
Philippines,  Syria,  Tibet,  Turkey,  Uru¬ 
guay  and  the  West  Indies ;  some  of  the 
correspondents  were  having  their  first 
furlough  experiences,  while  others  had 
had  repeated  experience  with  furlough 
periods.  Repeatedly  did  the  correspond¬ 
ents  express  their  very  deep  interest  in 
the  investigation  and  their  conviction 
as  to  the  value  which  it  might  have  to 
the  missionary  individually  and  to  the 
cause  he  serves.  The  list  of  correspond¬ 
ents-  included  particularly  a  large 
number  of  those  who  were  either  on 
furlough  or  had  just  returned  to  their 
fields  after  furlough,  for  it  was  felt 
that  to  these  the  problems  and  value 
of  the  furlough  period  would  be  most 
vivid  and  real. 

The  questionnaire  requested  replies 
to  some  62  questions  grouped  under 
the  following  six  main  heads: 

I.  Furlough  conditions. 

II.  Physical  development. 

III.  Intellectual  development. 

IV.  Spiritual  development. 

V.  Cultivation  of  the  home  Church. 

VI.  Matters  requiring  special  emphasis. 

This  report  discusses  the  first  five 
of  these  headings  and  presents  some 
general  suggestions  which  are  sul> 


7 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


mitted  in  addition  to  the  conclusions 
which  belong  to  each  of  the  five  sub¬ 
divisions. 

FURLOUGH  CONDITIONS 

It  is  important  to  have  a  clear  and 
accurate  knowledge  of  furlough  condi¬ 
tions,  for  these  are  vitally  related  to 
the  uses  which  it  is  proposed  to  make 
of  the  furlough  period. 

(i)  Frequency  of  Furlough — This 
bears  a  vital  relation  to  the  state  of 
health,  and  this  in  turn  determines,  to  a 
great  extent,  the  possibility  of  study  and 
other  work  during  the  furlough  period. 
In  mission  fields  lying  within  the  Tem¬ 
perate  Zone,  seven  years  seems  to  be 
the  prevailing  length  of  the  term  of  serv¬ 
ice.  In  the  Tropics  and  also  in  Arabia 
and  Brazil,  the  term  is  from  three  to  five 
years.  It  is  worth  noting  that  there  has 
been  a  general  tendency  to  reduce  the 
length  of  the  term  of  service,  the  seven- 
year  term  being  in  the  majority  of  in¬ 
stances  a  reduction  from  ten  years.  In 
a  large  number  of  cases  unmarried  wom¬ 
en  missionaries  serve  for  shorter  terms 
than  do  the  men  and  their  wives.  In  a 
few  cases  it  was  urged  that  an  option 
should  be  given  the  missionary  to  return 
at  the  end  of  a  longer  term,  such  as 


8 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MTSSTONARTFS 


seven  years,  and  have  a  year  at  home, 
or  to  return  at  the  end  of  a  shorter  per¬ 
iod  of  four  years  with  but  six  months  at 
home.  This  plan  has  in  some  cases  been 
found  actually  impracticable  and,  save 
for  nearby  fields,  such  as  the  West  In¬ 
dies  or  Mexico,  it  would  be  open  to  the 
following  serious  objections:  ( a )  The 
expense  of  travel  is  too  great  for  such 
slight  furlough  advantages  as  six  months 
would  provide;  ( b )  it  is  confusing  to 
plans  at  home  and  on  the  field  to  allow 
such  an  option;  (c)  the  short  furlough 
makes  impossible  almost  all  uses  of  the 
furlough  period,  save  for  physical  devel¬ 
opment. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  necessity  for 
a  periodic  furlough  is  vitally  related  to 
summer  vacation  privileges.  Where 
these  are  satisfactory  and  provide  some 
real  rest  and  tonic  the  existing  regula¬ 
tions  would  seem  to  be  generally  satis¬ 
factory:  about  seven  years  for  the  term 
of  service  in  temperate  zones  and  from 
three  to  five  in  the  Tropics.  Under  nor¬ 
mal  conditions  of  health  this  should  not 
only  prevent  breakdowns  but  should  also 
bring  the  missionary  home  with  such  a 
fair  degree  of  health  that  he  would  be 
able  to  apply  himself  to  a  reasonable  de¬ 
gree  to  study,  to  the  cultivation  of  the 


9 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


home  Church  and  to  self-improvement 
generally. 

(2)  Length  of  the  Furlough — Pass¬ 
ing  by  the  proposals  for  short  term  serv¬ 
ice  and  short  furloughs  the  prevailing 
opinion  is  that  a  furlough  period  of  fif¬ 
teen  months  should  be  allowed.  In 
theory,  this  is  a  furlough  period  of  one 
year,  but  to  avoid  the  summer  months, 
in  which  little  would  be  done  on  the  field 
anyhow  and  which  are  trying  months, 
the  missionary  comes  home  in  the  late 
spring  and  returns  to  his  field  in  the 
early  autumn  of  the  succeeding  year.  A 
few,  doubtless,  where  the  climatic  con¬ 
ditions-  of  their  fields  are  a  negligible 
factor,  would  limit  the  furlough  to  one 
year  in  America.  Some  argue  for  long¬ 
er  furloughs  in  the  later  periods  of  mis¬ 
sionary  service  on  the  ground  of  failing 
strength  with  advancing  years ;  but 
others  argue  for  longer  furlough  periods 
in  the  early  years  of  missionary  service 
on  the  ground  that  at  that  period  of  life 
they  can  be  most  helped  by  courses  of 
study  and  further  preparation. 

On  the  whole,  fifteen  months  seems  to 
be  the  most  reasonable  length  for  per¬ 
iodic  furlough. 

(3)  Furlough  Allowance — This  varies 
for  married  men  from  $500  to  $1,200, 


10 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


with  or  without  children’s  allowances; 
although  the  majority  seem  to  be  al¬ 
lowed  $1,000  for  the  furlough  salary.  In 
the  case  of  unmarried  women  it  varies 
from  $350  to  $600. 

This  question  of  furlough  allowance 
needs  to  be  very  earnestly  considered  by 
all  missionary  agencies,  especially  by 
those  that  have  not  made  a  recent  ad¬ 
justment  of  their  missionary  salaries  to 
the  increased  cost  of  living  in  America. 
It  is  a  subject  more  vitally  related  to  the 
proper  use  of  the  furlough  period  than 
is  commonly  supposed.  It  affects  health, 
for  where  the  salary  is  inadequate  finan¬ 
cial  worry  ensues.  It  affects  intellectual 
and  spiritual  development,  for  the  mis¬ 
sionary  is  thereby  prevented  from  tak¬ 
ing  advantage  of  educational  and  inspir¬ 
ational  privileges  that  would  otherwise 
be  accessible.  It  affects  his  usefulness 
as  a  force  in  cultivating  the  home 
Church,  for  he  is  unable  to  travel  about 
or  dress  in  the  way  that  social  standards 
require.  Frequently,  he  is  compelled  to 
go  back  to  his  field  with  debts  which 
would  rightly  embitter  the  soul  of  a 
righteous  man.  One  missionary  reports 
that  his  first  furlough  cost  him  almost 
twice  as  much  as  his  furlough  allowance, 
and  the  second  furlough  almost  four 


11 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


times  as  much;  and  his  is  a  name  most 
honored  in  missionary  circles.  The  ques¬ 
tion  is  most  pressing  because  of  the  enor¬ 
mous  gains  that  come  from  more  satis¬ 
factory  furlough  allowances. 

(4)  Where  to  Locate  —  Naturally, 
the  overwhelming  majority  of  fur¬ 
lough  periods  of  American  missionaries 
are  spent  wholly  in  America.  A  consid¬ 
erable  number  are  able  to  widen  their 
horizon  and  add  to  their  self-develop¬ 
ment  by  visits  to  other  countries  lying 
along  the  route  of  their  travel  or  even  by 
extended  delays  in  Europe  for  purposes 
of  study.  In  America  the  location  of  the 
missionary  during  his  furlough  period  is 
determined  by  one  or  more  of  the  fol¬ 
lowing  considerations:  (a)  to  be  with 
relatives;  ( b )  to  provide  educational 
privileges  for  the  children;  ( c )  for 
health  reasons;  (d)  for  reasons  of  econ¬ 
omy;  (e)  for  purposes  of  study;  (/)  for 
deputation  work  and  speaking;  ( g )  for 
conferences  with  the  Board.  It  is  easy 
to  see  that  some  of  these  considerations 
might  so  dominate  the  missionary’s  loca¬ 
tion  as  to  interfere  with  the  most  effect¬ 
ive  use  of  the  furlough  period,  e.  g.,  (a), 
( b ),  ( d ),  and  (/).  It  is  for  this  reason 
that  the  returning  missionary  should  be 
helped  by  friendly  counsel  on  the  one 


12 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


hand  and  by  such  financial  co-operation 
as  may  be  reasonable  and  possible  on  the 
other  hand. 

PHYSICAL  DEVELOPMENT 

The  physical  recuperation  and  devel¬ 
opment  of  the  missionary  may  well  be 
treated  first,  for  it  is  the  primary  and 
basic  object  of  the  furlough  period. 

(i)  What  Time  Should  he  Devoted  to 
Physical  Development?  —  The  replies 
show  wide  divergence  of  personal  opin¬ 
ion  or  experience.  There  is  the  mission¬ 
ary  whose  opinion  is  that  “this  rest  busi¬ 
ness  is  somewhat  overdone,”  who  comes 
home  rejoicing  in  his  strength  and  who, 
evidently  a  good  sailor,  would  limit  the 
rest  period  to  the  invigorating  experi¬ 
ences  of  a  sea  voyage  from  the  foreign 
field  to  America.  Then  there  is  the  mis¬ 
sionary  who  would  devote  the  whole 
period  to  physical  rest,  who  would  count 
all  other  occupation  as  an  exception  to 
the  rule  and  who  would  even  then  reckon 
the  rest  period  all  too  short.  Recogniz¬ 
ing  that  special  schedules  will  require  to 
be  made  for  those  who  are  broken  down 
physically  or  nervously  or  who  stand  in 
need  of  some  severe  operation,  perhaps 
a  reasonable  allowance  for  rest  and 
physical  recuperation  for  those  who  re- 


13 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


turn  home  with  a  fair  degree  of  health 
would  be  one-third  of  the  entire  time  of 
the  furlough,  or  three  months  at  the  be¬ 
ginning  (usually  the  first  summer)  and 
one  month  or  two  at  the  end  of  the  fur¬ 
lough.  The  case  of  those  whose  health 
is  undermined  will  be  considered  later. 
The  following  reply  expresses,  in  the 
main,  the  thought  of  many :  “As  a  rule, 
the  first  few  months  of  the  furlough 
should  be  spent  in  physical  rest,  visiting 
friends  and  relatives  and  getting  one’s 
bearings.  During  that  period  the  mis¬ 
sionary  should  not  do  much  public 
speaking  or  much  special  study  in  insti¬ 
tutions,  but  should  be  studying  the  gen¬ 
eral  situation  in  the  home  land  and  home 
Church.  He  should  know  what  the  peo¬ 
ple  at  home  are  thinking  and  planning, 
and  the  terms  in  which  they  are  think¬ 
ing.  He  should  get  thoroughly  interest¬ 
ed  in  them  and  what  they  are  doing  and 
not  be  ‘just  dying  to  get  back  to  his  field 
of  labor.’  When  he  has  had  a  good 
physical  rest  and  has  done  this  work  of 
‘orientation,’  he  will  be  in  a  position  to 
do  other  things.” 

(2)  What  Treatment  Should  be  Fol- 
loived  and  How  Determine  the  Same t — - 
For  those  who  are  generally  well  some 
simple  prescription  of  exercise  and  diet, 

14 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


with  outdoor  life  on  farm,  ranch,  moun¬ 
tain  or  plain  is  recommended.  For  otlu 
ers  hospital,  sanitarium  or  surgical  treat¬ 
ment  may  be  required.  Freedom  from 
anxiety  is  an  essential  requirement  for 
satisfactory  physical  recuperation,  and 
here  again  the  root  of  the  trouble  may 
lead  back  to  the  financial  problem. 

To  determine  what  is  required  the 
proposal  most  widely  endorsed  is  that 
every  missionary  upon  arrival  in  Amer¬ 
ica  shall  undergo  medical  examination. 
Three  questions  are  to  be  answered  by 
this  examination:  (a)  Does  the  mis¬ 
sionary  require  any  special  treatment 
while  on  furlough?  (b)  If  so,  what? 
(c)  Does  the  case  suggest  the  necessity 
of  a  further  medical  examination  toward 
the  end  of  the  furlough  to  determine  fit¬ 
ness  for  return  to  the  field? 

That  all  should  undergo  this  first  ex¬ 
amination  seems  clear,  for  as  one  mis¬ 
sionary  (a  doctor)  remarks,  “FTe  (the 
missionary)  is  usually  a  poor  judge 
when  left  to  himself,  even  though  a  phy¬ 
sician/’  while  another  (also  a  medical 
missionary)  writes:  “It  (the  treatment) 
should  in  no  wise  be  left  to  the  decision 
of  the  missionary  himself.”  Flowever, 
the  following  points  with  reference  to 
this  medical  examination  need  to  be 


15 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


noted:  (a)  The  examining  physician 

should  be  a  man' in  sympathy  with  mis¬ 
sions.  (b)  He  should  have  some  knowl¬ 
edge  of  Oriental  conditions  and  diseases. 
(c)  In  case  of  a  special  ailment  the  mis¬ 
sionary  should  go  to  a  specialist.  ( d ) 
The  examination  should  be  thorough 
and  fearless.  Fearing  that  too  many 
concessions  will  be  made,  one  mission¬ 
ary  writes :  “Have  a  medical  board 
which  knows  nothing  of  the  individual, 
his  field,  relatives,  friends,  desires,  fears 
or  hobby.” 

A  proposal  made  in  the  questionnaire 
that  every  missionary  should  undergo  an 
annual  medical  examination  on  the  field 
was  widely  endorsed.  The  few  objec¬ 
tions  raised  suggest  the  propriety  of 
modifying  the  suggestion  somewhat  and 
instead  of  actually  requiring  every  indi¬ 
vidual  missionary  to  undergo  a  medical 
examination  each  year  in  the  field,  that 
a  medical  report  be  required  by  every 
Board  to  be  sent  to  it  annually  from  the 
field,  reviewing  the  health  of  the  mis¬ 
sionaries  on  the  field.  This  would  avoid 
the  necessity  for  formal  examinations, 
where  manifestly  unnecessary.  It 
would,  however,  bring  to  light  physical 
breaks  that  are  threatening.  Needless 
to  add,  it  would  be  a  confidential  report 


16 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


from  the  doctor  on  the  field  to  the  Board 
in  America  and  would  not  parade  be¬ 
fore  the  entire  mission  the  physical  limi¬ 
tations  of  each  missionary.  The  bearing 
of  this  proposal  upon  physical  recupera¬ 
tion  during  the  furlough  period  is  obvi¬ 
ous,  for  the  reports  from  the  fields  would 
form  a  basis  for  a  prescription  of  treat¬ 
ment  by  the  home  doctors  when  the  mis¬ 
sionary  returns  to  America.  A  proper 
correlation  as  to  character  of  examina¬ 
tion  and  method  of  reporting  the  same 
will  need  to  be  worked  out  between  the 
medical  examination  taken  on  the  field 
and  the  one  taken  at  home.  The  records 
of  both  should  be  carefully  filed  for  sub¬ 
sequent  reference  and  perhaps  criticism 
both  at  home  and  on  the  field. 

(3)  Financial  Provision  for  Medical 
Treatment — A  very  few  instances  occur 
where  hospitals  under  denominational 
control  generously  provide  free  medical 
treatment  and  beds  for  missionaries.  In 
a  larger  number  of  cases  only  some  re¬ 
duction  of  the  regular  charges  is  con¬ 
ceded.  In  some  cases  the  Boards,  by 
regular  or  special  allowances,  cover  the 
cost  of  the  medical  treatment  or  the  sur¬ 
gical  operations  which  their  missionaries 
require.  Repeated  mention  is  made  of 
the  special  privileges  which  have  been 


17 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


accorded  missionaries  at  Clifton  Springs 
and  Battle  Creek. 

The  investigation  discloses  strong  rea¬ 
sons  for  the  position  that  just  as  Boards 
should  insist  on  all  missionaries  under¬ 
going  medical  examination  upon  their 
return  on  furlough,  the  Boards  should 
carry  the  expense  of  any  unusual  expen¬ 
ditures  that  are  involved  in  the  medical 
or  surgical  treatments  which  their  med¬ 
ical  examinations  have  shown  t_Q  be  nec¬ 
essary.  The  reasons  for  this  are  obvi¬ 
ous:  (a)  It  is  a  matter  of  ultimate  econ¬ 
omy  ;  a  missionary  fully  restored  to 
health  will  be  more  useful  than  one  who 
returns  to  work  with  some  physical  dis¬ 
ability.  ( b )  In  almost  every  instance 
the  present  furlough  allowances  would 
not  permit  the  missionary  to  take  ex¬ 
pensive  treatment  at  his  own  charges, 
(c)  The  disability  is  often  incurred 
while  the  missionary  is  serving  the 
Board  and  the  Church ;  in  some  cases  it 
is  the  direct  result  of  strain  owing  to 
the  Church’s  failure  to  send  adequate  re¬ 
enforcements. 

INTELLECTUAL  DEVELOPMENT 

To  begin  by  mentioning  a  general  im¬ 
pression  gained  from  a  study  of  the  data 


18 


furloughs  of  missionaries 


in  hand,  there  seems  to  be  justification 
for  saying  that  this  section  of  the  ques¬ 
tionnaire  received  on  the  whole  inade¬ 
quate  or  imperfect  treatment  at  the 
hands  of  correspondents.  Naturally  the 
subject  presents  such  varied  aspects  be¬ 
cause  of  differing  types  of  intellectual 
training  required  on  the  foreign  field 
that  it  does  not  lend  itself  to  a  clearly  de¬ 
fined  discussion.  Then,  too,  the  exact 
content  of  many  of  the  studies  proposed 
may  not  have  seemed  clear  to  the  cor¬ 
respondents,  partly  because  some  of 
them  are  of  more  recent  development 
and  partly  because  the  treatment  of  them 
differs  greatly  in  different  institutions. 
Generally  speaking,  the  wisdom  of  de¬ 
voting  part  of  the  furlough  to  intellect¬ 
ual  development  is  granted  by  all.  Where 
reserve  appears  in  the  endorsement  of 
this  plan  it  seems  to  be  because  of  fear 
that  it  will  infringe  unduly  upon  phys¬ 
ical  recuperation  on  the  one  hand  or  the 
cultivation  of  the  home  Church  on  the 
other. 

(i)  Selection  of  Work — Who  shall 
decide  the  questions  connected  with  spe¬ 
cial  study  during  the  furlough  period — 
the  missionary,  the  Mission  or  the 
Board?  There  is  remarkable  unanimity 
in  the  opinion  that  the  missionary  him- 


19 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


self  should  be  the  chief  judge  in  the 
matter,  and,  naturally  so:  lie  it  is  who 
must  be  whole-heartedly  satisfied  or  his 
study  will  be  formal  and  perfunctory;  he 
it  is  who  knows  his  own  field  of  work 
and  his  own  limitations  in  relation  to  it; 
he  it  is  who  best  may  correlate  consci¬ 
entiously  the  Mission’s  policy  with  the 
Board’s  projects.  The  chief  function  of 
the  Mission  would  be  to  notify  the  mis¬ 
sionary  on  furlough  of  any  specialized 
form  of  work  to  which  it  is  intending  to 
assign  him;  otherwise  he  would  be  free, 
to  follow  the  lines  of  his  own  sense  of 
personal  need  for  intellectual  develop¬ 
ment.  The  special  function  of  the  Board 
is  to  lift  before  the  missionary  its  ideals 
for  greater  efficiency  through  special 
training,  to  bring  him  into  touch  with 
that  wealth  of  specialized  knowledge  of 
whose  existence  he  may  be  ignorant,  to 
help  him  in  solving  some  of  the  practi¬ 
cal  problems  connected  with  his  selection 
of  an  institution  and  of  suitable  courses 
of  study,  and  finally  to  help  solve  the  fi¬ 
nancial  difficulties  which  might  otherwise 
prevent  his  engaging  in  these  studies. 

(2)  Time — While  some  would  regard 
even  one  month  of  study  as  satisfactory 
and  others  desire  an  entire  school  year 
for  such  intellectual  development,  it  is 


20 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 

recognized  that  with  other  claims  upon 
his  time  the  missionary  on  furlough  will 
not  be  able,  as  a  rule,  to  give  more  than 
one  full  term  (about  three  months)  to 
study  at  an  institution.  This  would  not 
apply  to  those  preparing  for  some  spe¬ 
cialized  form  of  work  where  a  definite 
appointment  to  such  work  becomes  the 
justification  for  longer  furlough  and 
more  extended  study. 

The  problem  of  properly  correlating 
study  with  speaking  in  the  churches  may 
find  solution  in  several  ways.  If  the 
fall  months  are  given  to  study,  the 
spring  months  may  be  given  to  deputa¬ 
tion  work.  Or,  again,  the  missionary 
may  be  able  to  study  during  the  week 
and  devote  his  Sundays  to  speaking ;  this 
assumes  a  fair  degree  of  health  and  also 
his  location  for  study  in  the  midst  of  his 
denominational  constituency,  which  may 
not  always  be  the  case.  Or,  finally,  dep¬ 
utation  work  may  be  reduced  to  a  mini¬ 
mum  on  the  ground  either  that  this  mis¬ 
sionary  is  not  specially  gifted  for  such 
work  or  that  the  missionary’s  chief  duty 
has  to  do  with  making  himself  efficient 
for  work  abroad.  It  is  to  be  recognized 
that  many  plead  for  the  upkeep  of  dep- 
utational  activity  on  the  ground  of  its 
mental  and  spiritual  stimulus  and  be- 


21 


furloughs  of  missionaries 


cause  of  its  value  as  a  wholesome  cor¬ 
rective  to  purely  intellectual  work. 

(3)  Place — Should  that  portion  of 
the  furlough  which  is  to  be  devoted  to 
intellectual  development  be  spent  on  the 
foreign  field,  in  Europe  or  in  America? 
The  objective  on  the  foreign  field  would 
be  some  original  study  of  language,  lit¬ 
erature,  religions,  social  conditions,  for 
which  investigations  no  opportunity  ex¬ 
isted  while  the  missionary  was  im¬ 
mersed  in  regular  work.  The  methods 
and  conditions  of  adjoining  missions  and 
mission  fields  would  also  require  study 
abroad.  The  argument  for  studying  in 
Europe  would  be,  for  example,  that  med¬ 
ical  men  could  profitably  take  up  special 
studies  in  Oriental  diseases,  and  Ameri¬ 
can  missionaries  laboring  in  India  would 
find  it  a  valuable  thing  to  study  British 
educational  ideals  which  lie  back  of  the 
British  educational  policy  in  India.  Such 
cases,  however,  may  be  regarded  as  ex¬ 
ceptions;  in  the  majority  of  cases  the  de¬ 
cision  will  relate  to  institutions  in  this 
country. 

In  selecting  the  place  of  study  it  is 
recognized  that  ordinarily  considerations 
of  economy  and  accessibility  are  likely 
to  exert  far  too  strong  an  influence, 
while  the  truest  considerations  are  aca- 


22 


furloughs  of  missionaries 


demic  facilities  and  spiritual  atmosphere. 
If  academic  facilities  are  given  chief 
consideration  it  is  with  the  very  proper 
explanation  that  church  life  in  the  city 
may  provide  the  spiritual  atmosphere  re¬ 
quired,  even  though  there  is  little  or 
none  of  it  in  the  institution  itself,  e.  g., 
many  medical  and  technical  schools.  De¬ 
nominational  considerations  are  ordinar¬ 
ily  reported  to  be  of  lesser  importance  in 
the  selection  of  the  place  for  study. 

A  strong  plea  is  made  by  most  of  the 
correspondents  for  the  allowance  of 
study  privileges  to  wives  as  well  as  to 
their  husbands.  The  advantage  of  thus 
having  the  family  united  during  the  fur¬ 
lough  period;  the  intellectual  fellowship 
which  husband  and  wife  may  thus  en¬ 
joy;  the  partial  amends  that  ought  in 
justice  to  be  thus  made  to  those  women 
who  through  their  devotion  to  household 
duties  are  ever  making  heroic  sacrifices ; 
these  are  among  the  arguments  pre¬ 
sented. 

(4)  Cost — The  replies  received  from 
missionaries  reveal  a  most  worthy  con¬ 
servatism  with  reference  to  making 
claims  upon  the  mission  treasury  for  ex¬ 
penses  incurred  in  pursuing  these  studies. 
Nevertheless  it  is  recognized  that  in 
very  many  cases  all  such  study  will 


23 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


be  impossible  if  the  missionary  must 
bear  the  expense.  With  general  unanim¬ 
ity  the  opinion  is  expressed  that  the 
Board  should  provide  for  the  tuition  fees 
if  these  are  not  remitted  by  the  institu¬ 
tion.  It  is  also  felt  by  many  that  the 
railroad  travel  should  be  paid  by  the 
Board,  especially  if  some  distant  institu¬ 
tion  is  selected  after  consultation  with 
the  Board.  Perhaps  a  wiser  principle 
to  adopt  would  be  for  the  Board  to  ap¬ 
point  a  special  committee  to  deal  with 
each  case  separately  and  provide  for  all 
such  expenses  connected  with  these 
studies  as  are  found  to  be  in  excess  of 
the  missionary’s  normal  furlough  ex¬ 
penses,  providing,  of  course,  that  the 
missionary  finds  himself  unable  to 
meet  these  expenses  and  providing 
the  Board  approved  of  them  before 
they  were  incurred.  Among  the 
arguments  by  which,  it  is  sug¬ 
gested,  the  Board  can  justify  such 
expenditures  are:  (a)  These  studies 
aim  to  increase  the  missionary’s  efficien¬ 
cy  in  the  work  of  the  Church;  (b)  but 
for  such  help  from  the  Board  the  mis¬ 
sionary  must  go  back  to  his  field  imper¬ 
fectly  equipped;  ( c )  the  very  condi¬ 
tions  of  the  mission  field  and  of  the  mis¬ 
sionary’s  life  abroad  place  limitations 
upon  him,  cutting  him  off  from  the  in- 


24 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


tellectual  stimulus  which  is  the  common 
privilege  of  all  in  America — this  is, 
therefore,  only  proper  and  partial  com¬ 
pensation;  ( d )  principles  of  efficiency  in 
the  business  world  will  justify  such 
grants. 

(5)  Course  —  Correspondents  were 
asked  to  indicate  the  relative  emphasis 
which  their  experience  and  observation 
would  lead  them  to  lay  upon  the  follow¬ 
ing  subjects  of  study: 

(a)  Biblical,  theological  and  philosophical. 

( b )  History,  literature  and  religions  of  the 
field. 

(c)  Recent  developments  in  thought  or  tech¬ 
nique  in  the  missionary’s  own  profession ; 
e.  g.,  medicine,  education. 

( d )  Social  subjects  bearing  on  present-day 
movements. 

( e )  Subjects  omitted  from  the  missionary’s 
early  education,  need  of  which  was  discovered 
in  service. 

( f )  Special  preparation  for  new  lines  of 
work  (e.  g.,  for  Moslems  in  India,  China). 

(g)  Survey  courses  for  intellectual  and  spir¬ 
itual  stimulus. 

Medical  missionaries  generally  give 
first  place  to  ( c ).  Evangelistic  mission¬ 
aries  emphasize  (a),  with  particular  ref¬ 
erence  to  Biblical  study.  Almost  every 
one  of  the  classes  of  subjects  named  Has 
its  strong  advocates.  Two  generaliza¬ 
tions,  however,  may  be  made.  The  first 
is  that  a  very  real  and  earnest  plea  is 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


made  for  a  more  satisfying  study  of  the 
Bible.  What  seems  to  be  desired  is  a 
study  of  the  Bible  which  will  unfold  its 
spiritual  teaching  and  dynamic.  The 
other  generalization  is  that  the  replies 
reveal  to  a  considerable  degree  some  sus¬ 
picion  and  doubt  as  to  the  character  and 
value  of  some  of  the  lines  of  study  which 
are  proposed  and  which  were  endorsed 
at  Edinburgh,  but  whose  comparative 
novelty  is  still  a  hindrance  to  their  ac¬ 
ceptance  in  many  quarters.  There  is 
need,  if  these  studies  are  to  be  very 
widely  taken  up,  that  missionaries  be 
made  acquainted  with  their  spiritual 
dynamic  and  their  missionary  value. 
Much  has  been  done  in  this  direction,  but 

much  yet  remains  to  be  done. 

It  is  generally  agreed  that  the  first 
two  furlough  periods  afford  the  best  op¬ 
portunities  for  special  study  and  that 
after  the  second  furlough  it  may  not  be 
easy  to  set  the  missionary  free  for 
study,  as  he  will  become  preoccupied 
with  the  work  of  cultivating  the  home 
Church  by  missionary  messages  based  on 
his  years  of  experience  on  the  foreign 
field. 

2G 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


SPIRITUAL  DEVELOPMENT 

To  the  question,  Is  the  return  home  on 
furlough  spiritually  uplifting?  the  great 
majority  of  answers  are  in  the  affirma¬ 
tive.  There  were  some  who  doubt  it ; 
the  tremendous  tides  of  worldliness  and 
materialism  in  Christian  America  seem 
to  such  altogether  appalling.  Where 
coldness  is  found  in  the  Church  itself,  it 
is  to  the  missionary  more  discouraging 
than  heathenism  on  the  foreign  field. 
Some  feel  that  physical  exhaustion  is  to 
a  great  extent  the  chief  hindrance  to  spir¬ 
itual  development  during  the  furlough 
period.  The  testimony,  however,  to  the 
spiritual  helpfulness  of  the  furlough 
period  is  both  abundant  and  very  strong. 

When  pressed  to  define  more  particu¬ 
larly  what  phases  or  features  of  the  fur¬ 
lough  period  have  proved  most  helpful 
spiritually,  our  correspondents  have  un¬ 
covered  many  most  interesting  and  sug¬ 
gestive  lines  of  spiritual  quickening. 
Many  speak  of  the  stimulating  value 
of  campaign  work  in  which  they 
have  participated,  testifying  to  the  pow¬ 
er  and  grace  of  God  in  their  own  fields ; 
many  make  the  spiritual  value  of  a  fur¬ 
lough  period  to  depend  almost  entirely 
upon  the  maintenance  by  the  missionary 
on  furlough  of  those  personal  Bible 


27 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


study  and  prayer  habits  that  lie  back 
of  spiritual  development  everywhere ; 
this  is  significant  and  suggestive.  Men¬ 
tion  is  also  made  of  personal  fellowship 
with  devout  men  and  women  while  visit¬ 
ing  congregations,  Christian  fellowship 
with  godly  relatives  and  friends,  the  op¬ 
portunity  for  leisure  and  meditation,  as¬ 
sociation  with  those  engaged  in  evangel¬ 
istic  work,  coming  into  touch  with  Board 
leaders,  attending  conventions,  congre¬ 
gational  life  under  live  pastors,  the  en¬ 
joyment  of  worship  in  a  well-appointed 
church,  acquaintance  with  the  intellect¬ 
ual  development  of  leaders  in  Christian 
thought,  the  enjoyment  of  a  Christian 
social  environment,  fresh  views  gained 
of  one’s  own  work,  meeting  young  life 
and  noting  its  missionary  interest,  at¬ 
tending  great  conventions,  meeting  those 
who  are  supporting  the  missionary, 
preaching  sermons  other  than  mission¬ 
ary,  sharing  in  evangelistic  effort,  stimu¬ 
lating  letters,  books  of  a  deeply  spiritual 
character — at  these  and  similar  foun¬ 
tains  have  missionaries  on  furlough 
slaked  their  spiritual  thirst. 

Could  the  opportunities  for  such  spir¬ 
itual  experiences  be  increased?  One 
missionary  wishes  that  there  might  be 
developed  some  great  missionary  and 


2S 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


spiritual  rallying  center  for  America,  as 
Keswick  is  for  so  large  a  constituency  in 
Great  Britain.  A  most  valuable  sugges¬ 
tion  is  that  there  should  be  appointed  a 
secretary  on  furloughed  missionaries 
whose  duty  would  be  to  advise  and  fol- 
low"  up  all  missionaries  on  furlough  and 
take  the  initiative  in  bringing  them  into 
touch  with  the  most  helpful  movements 
ministering  to  spiritual  development. 
Frequently  the  cost  of  travel  prevents 
missionaries  from  enjoying  the  privileges 
of  many  helpful  gatherings  which  might 
send  them  back  to  their  fields  of  labor 
with  entirely  different  conceptions  of 
the  home  Church  and  an  entirely  differ¬ 
ent  spirit  of  hopefulness  and  faith. 

Many  centers  are  mentioned  where 
spiritual  quickening  was  received, 
among  them  Student  Volunteer  Conven¬ 
tions  (these  receive  repeated  mention), 
general  missionary  rallies,  the  meetings 
of  the  highest  courts  of  one’s  own  de¬ 
nomination,  Northfield,  Silver  Bay,  Clif¬ 
ton  Springs,  Student  Young  Men’s 
Christian  Association  and  Student 
Young  Women’s  Christian  Association 
Conferences,  Laymen’s  Missionary 
Movement  Conferences,  Moody  Bible 
Institute,  Nashville  Christian  Workers’ 
Conferences,  Christian  Endeavor  Con- 


29 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


ventions,  State  Sunday  School  Conven¬ 
tions,  Montreat,  Lake  Geneva,  Hartford 
Seminary,  Winona,  Ocean  Grove,  Nor¬ 
wood  College,  Bible  Teachers’  Training 
School. 

While  few  would  divorce  the  intellect¬ 
ual  development  from  the  spiritual,  yet 
many  recognize  that  the  spiritual  may 
require  an  emphasis  and  an  environment 
of  its  own,  other  than  that  of  the  period 
of  study,  when  academic  or  professional 
study  may  be  having  almost  exclusive 
consideration.  It  seems,  therefore,  that 
the  spiritual  development  of  the  mission¬ 
ary  calls  for  very  definite  planning  and 
for  such  provision  for  contact  with  spir¬ 
itual  movements  in  the  Church  in  Amer¬ 
ica  as  may  be  possible. 

CULTIVATION  OF  HOME  CHURCH 

The  replies  show  that,  next  to  physical 
recuperation,  the  cultivation  of  the  home 
Church  has  seemed  to  the  missionary  to 
be  the  chief  function  of  the  furlough 
period.  It  is  really  remarkable  how 
much  time  is  actually  given  to  this  work 
by  missionaries;  and  more  remarkable 
still  is  the  generous  allowance  of  time 
which  missionaries  designate  in  their 
replies  as  a  proper  assignment  to  such 


30 


furloughs  of  missionaries 


work.  While  the  majority  would  assign 
about  one-third  of  the  furlough  to  such 
work,  many  would  assign  one-half ; 
while  one  declares  two-thirds  of  the  time 
none  too  much  and  another  urges  at  least 
three-fourths.  One  missionary  states 
that  on  his  first  furlough  he  spoke  200 
times,  on  his  second  230  times. 

A  discriminating  distinction,  however, 
is  drawn  by  several  between  a  larger  use 
of  the  missionary  in  the  work  of  culti¬ 
vating  the  home  Church  and  a  more  and 
intelligent  and  efifective  use  of  him.  The 
suggestion  ought  to  be  heeded,  for  there 
are  evidences  of  wasted  energy  in  this 
work  and  the  difficulties  are  so  numer¬ 
ous  and  entangling  that  only  a  very  sys¬ 
tematic  and  careful  handling  of  them  can 
solve  the  problem. 

Almost  every  correspondent  is  of  the 
opinion  that  the  work  ought  to  be 
planned  and  operated  from  the  head¬ 
quarters  of  the  Board.  A  sort  of  “Mis¬ 
sionary  Speakers’  Supply  Bureau”  would 
need  to  be  established.  The  missionary’s 
speaking  gifts  should  be  carefully  noted. 
Some  should  not  speak  at  all,  for  health 
or  other  reasons.  Some  would  only  be 
acceptable  and  would  be  most  acceptable 
in  parlor  meetings  and  with  small  groups. 
Some  would  fit  into  country  churches 


31 


furloughs  of  missionaries 


best;  others  into  city  churches.  Infinite 
tact  would  need  to  be  exercised  by  the 
Board’s  representative ;  infinite  trust  by 
the  missionary.  The  Board  would  plan 
for  individual  congregational  appoint¬ 
ments  and  also  for  continuous  cam¬ 
paigns.  Some  could  write  who  could  not 
speak.  Some  would  give  direct  ad¬ 
dresses;  others  might  more  effiectively 
use  the  stereopticon  lecture  method. 

If  this  work  is  to  be  systematized  by 
the  Boards  after  some  such  fashion,  then 
it  would  be  possible  to  go  farther  and 
give  suggestions,  if  not  training,  to  pros¬ 
pective  speakers.  Leaflets  or  booklets  of 
suggestions  (“Do  and  Don’t”)  would 
need  to  be  prepared.  At  present  only 
two  are  in  evidence:  Dr.  A.  J.  Brown’s 
“The  Foreign  Missionary’’  and  a  leaflet 
by  Rev.  W.  B.  Anderson.  A  correspon¬ 
dent  urges  a  “setting-up”  conference 
with  prospective  missionary  speakers,  at 
which  coaching  on  methods  could  be 
given ;  another  testifies  to  the  practical 
value  along  these  lines  of  a  lecture  by 
Prof.  St.  John  of  Hartford  on  “Stories 
and  Story  Telling.” 

It  would  also  be  necessary  to  work  out 
just,  practicable  and  acceptable  plans  for 
meeting  the  expenses  connected  with  this 
work  of  visiting  the  churches.  The  feel- 


32 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


ing  is  strongly  expressed  that,  the  mis¬ 
sionary  being  on  furlough  salary,  the 
Board  should  take  care  of  all  special  ex¬ 
penses  incurred  in  this  way.  This  would 
include  railroad  expenses,  entertainment, 
and  perhaps  an  estimated  allowance  for 
incidentals  and  clothing  where  the  work 
calls  for  expenditures  along  these  lines 
that  are  out  of  the  ordinary.  Naturally, 
any  collections  donated  would  likewise 
go  to  the  Board.  Only  in  rare  cases 
do  missionaries  endorse  speaking  in  be¬ 
half  of  specials.  The  opinion  is  repeat¬ 
edly  expressed  that  loyalty  to  the  work 
as  a  whole  is  the  duty  of  every  Board 
representative,  unless  his  Board  definite¬ 
ly  assigns  him  the  task  of  pleading  for 
some  special.  It  is  also  recognized  that 
this  is  not  at  all  in  conflict  with  each 
missionary  speaking  for  the  most  part 
concerning  his  own  field  or  work. 

Some  very  helpful  suggestions  come 
to  light  as  to  the  particular  aims  which 
the  missionary  speaker  should  have  be¬ 
fore  him  in  this  work.  Among  them  are 
these :  “witness  to  the  dynamic  power  of 
the  Gospel  to  save  nations,  but  most  par¬ 
ticularly  individuals,”  present  needs,  ac¬ 
quainting  the  Church  with  the  difficulties, 
appealing  for  volunteers,  appealing  for 
the  consecration  of  wealth,  telling  of  his 


S3 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


own  field,  lifting  the  home  Church  mem¬ 
bership  to  a  wider  horizon,  living  the 
Life  before  all. 

GENERAL  SUGGESTIONS 

In  addition  to  the  opinions  expressed 
in  the  foregoing  sections  certain  more 
general  suggestions  require  to  be  record¬ 
ed  : 

(i)  Do  we  not  need  to  work  out  a 
clearer  and  truer  conception  of  the  pur¬ 
poses  of  the  missionary  furlough?  If 
one  may  judge  from  the  replies  received 
from  our  correspondents  the  different 
ends  which  a  furlough  serve  are  in  the 
order  of  their  importance  as  follows,  ac¬ 
cording  to  existing  conditions:  (a) 
Health,  ( b )  Social  purposes,  meeting 
friends  and  relatives,  (c)  Cultivation  of 
home  Church,  (d)  Spiritual  stimulus  and 
(e)  Study.  In  the  judgment  of  the  Com¬ 
mittee  the  proper  order  should  be,  con¬ 
sidering  present  day  missionary  condi¬ 
tions:  (a)  Health,  ( b )  Study,  (c)  Spir¬ 
itual  stimulus,  (d)  Social  purposes  and 
(e)  Cultivation  of  the  home  Church. 

However,  there  may  be  objection  to 
any  comparison  of  aims  and  purposes 
and  it  may  be  better  to  submit  the  follow¬ 
ing  comprehensive  scheme  setting  forth 
the  ends  to  be  served  by  a  furlough : 


34 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


(a)  As  regards  the  missionary’s  own  life 
and  that  of  his  family,  the  furlough  is  supposed 
to  minister  to  physical  repair,  to  spiritual  up¬ 
building,  to  intellectual  stimulus  and  develop¬ 
ment,  to  the  renewal  of  social  life  and  relation¬ 
ships,  to  professional  training  and  graduate 
work,  and,  finally,  to  the  gaining  of  those  new 
intellectual  and  spiritual  viewpoints  which  go 
far  toward  making  over  all  of  one’s  life  and 
one’s  lifework. 

( b )  As  regards  the  missionarv’s  Board, 
through  his  furlough  the  missionary  is  given  an 
opportunity  to  bring  to  his  Board  and  its  offi¬ 
cers  first-hand  information  and,  when  de¬ 
sired,  advice,  and  to  counsel  with  them  for  the 
solution  of  special  problems  involving  the  dis¬ 
covery  of  men,  money  or  methods  commensu¬ 
rate  with  the  needs. 

(c)  As  regards  the  missionary’s  Church,  the 
furlough  period  makes  possible  the  cultivation 
of  the  general  missionary  interest  of  the 
Church,  and  the  deepening  of  the  Church’s 
interest  in  the  missionary’s  own  field  and 
work  in  particular,  through  public  addresses, 
private  interviews,  printed  articles,  co-opera¬ 
tion  in  campaigns  and  conventions. 

( d )  As  regards  the  missionary’s  Mission, 
the  furlough  period  should  set  the  missionary 
free  from  the  engrossing  claims  of  his  own  sta¬ 
tion  or  department  and  enable  him  to  view  the 
work  of  his  Mission  as  a  whole:  it  should  add 
the  corrective  of  the  viewpoint  of  the  home 
constituency  and  contribute  helpful  criticism 
through  comparison  of  methods  with  workers 
from  other  Missions:  it  should  afford  an  op¬ 
portunity  for  building  up  at  the  home  base  a 
constituency  having  a  special  interest  in  that 
particular  Mission  and  ministering  to  it 

35 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


throughout  succeeding  years,  sympathy,  prayer, 
money  and  life. 

( e )  As  regards  the  missionary’s  wider  or 
more  general  interests,  the  furlough  period  af¬ 
fords  opportunity  for  co-operating  with  pres¬ 
ent-day  movements  in  the  home  land,  such  as 
the  national  and  interdenominational  mission¬ 
ary  movements,  social  movements,  etc. ;  it  may 
afford  opportunity  for  vitally  moulding  public 
opinion  in  America  and  influencing  popular 
feeling  toward  foreign  nations,  and  perchance, 
even  for  useful  and  important  service  to  gov¬ 
ernment  officials  who  desire  information  as  to 
political,  economic  or  commercial  conditions  in 
foreign  lands. 

It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  any  one 
missionary  during  any  single  furlough 
can  render  vital  service  along  all  or 
even  many  of  these  lines,  for  “there  are 
diversities  of  gifts”  and  “diversities  of 
ministrations,”  but  through  the  most  ef¬ 
fective  use  of  the  furlough  periods  on 
the  part  of  all  contributions  of  incalcula¬ 
ble  value  to  the  Kingdom  of  God  will  be 
made. 

There  is  particular  need  that  higher 
ideals  be  cultivated  with  reference  to 
study  and  intellectual  development  as  a 
furlough  objective.  Steps  should  be  ta¬ 
ken  to  advertise  more  widely  in  mission¬ 
ary  circles  the  high  standards  of  mis¬ 
sionary  preparation  endorsed  by  the 
Edinburgh  Conference,  and  then  to  show 
that  really  vital  work  may  be  done  dur- 


36 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


ing-  the  furlough  period,  short  as  it  is.  A 
booklet  of  testimonies  from  those  who 
have  done  such  work  might  be  exceeding¬ 
ly  effective. 

(2)  Should  not  Boards  institute  “Mis-  L 
sionary  Furlough  Departments,”  assign¬ 
ing  the  work  connected  with  this  depart¬ 
ment  to  special  committees  and  to  a  spe¬ 
cial  secretary,  whether  the  latter  give  his 
whole  time  to  it  or  not? 

It  seems  preferable  to  suggest  the  es¬ 
tablishment  of  such  “departments”  rath¬ 
er  than  the  enacting  of  innumerable  rules 
and  regulations,  which  will  be  inapplica¬ 
ble  or  irritating.  Furthermore,  the  situ¬ 
ation  requires,  throughout,  the  personal 
touch.  Innumerable  personal  considera¬ 
tions  must  be  weighed  and  sympathetic 
personal  interviews  are  needed  to  clear 
away  the  difficulties  of  the  individual 
missionary  and  set  him  forward  on  his 
way  to  the  most  effective  use  of  his  fur¬ 
lough. 

(3)  May  not  some  financial  provision 
be  made  by  Boards  to  insure  the  highest 
returns?  In  many  instances  the  finan¬ 
cial  arrangements  just  fall  short  of  what 
is  required  to  make  the  furlough  an  ef¬ 
fective  measure.  Some  financial  pro¬ 
vision  is  needed  by  the  great  majority  of 
missionaries  not  to  induce  them,  but  to 


37 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


make  it  at  all  possible  for  them,  to  avail 
themselves  of  the  opportunities  for  study 

that  are  to  be  found  in  existing  American 
institutions.  If  the  furlough  salary  itself 
is  too  low  and  tends  to  bury  in  some  out- 
of-the-way  place  a  missionary  who  ought 
to  be  either  studying  or  touching  the 
home  Church,  the  evil  may  require  for 
its  correction  what  many  Boards  have 
recently  been  undertaking,  a  general  ad¬ 
vance  in  the  furlough  allowance,  even  be¬ 
fore  special  allowances  are  made  for 
study. 


(4)  A  measure  of  educational  equip¬ 
ment  remains  to  be  provided  to  meet  the 
rather  special  and  peculiar  requirements 
of  study  by  missionaries  on  furlough. 
Short  yet  complete  schedules  are  needed 
to  fit  the  limited  time  at  the  missionary’s 
disposal.  It  would  seem  more  impor¬ 
tant  to  have  regard,  not  to  denomination¬ 
al  distinctions,  but  to  geographical  dis¬ 
tribution,  in  seeking  to  establish  such 
study  centers  for  missionaries  on  fur¬ 
lough. 


38 


FURLOUGHS  OF  MISSIONARIES 


CONCLUSION 


In  conclusion  we  call  attention  again 
to  the  opening  paragraphs  of  this  report, 
in  which  emphasis  was  laid  on  the  enor¬ 
mous  money  and  life  values  which  are 
at  stake:  an  annual  investment  of  1,429 
years  of  American  missionary  life  and 
an  annual  investment  of  $572,000  of 
American  missionary  money.  Waste  here 
becomes  multiplied  to  an  appalling  ex¬ 
tent.  Efficiency  here  means,  under  the 
blessing  of  God,  a  maximum  of  power 
whose  possibilities  stir  the  imagination. 


It  is  recognized  that  the  conditions 
which  govern  the  furlough  period  of  the 
missionary  are  not  ideal.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  as  the  thought  of  the  Church 
and  its  leaders  becomes  focused  upon 
existing  limitations,  much  will  be  done 
to  remove  them.  Meanwhile  it  will  be 
the  part  of  wisdom  for  missionaries  and 
Boards  alike  to  exercise  that  resource¬ 
fulness  which  will  triumph  over  limita¬ 
tions  and  make  this  furlough  period  to 
yield  the  most  that  is  possible  for  the 
increase  of  efficiency  in  this  great  enter¬ 
prise  of  carrying  the  gospel  to  all  the 
world. 


39 


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